THE President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation Daniel Igali has narrated how Odunayo Adekuoroye dealt with the pain of her upset defeat at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Medal favourite and one of the best wrestlers in the world Adekuoroye lost on Wednesday in her 57kg bout by fall (a technical knockout) to Moldova’s Anastasia Nichita in the round of 16.
Adekuoroye was comfortably leading 8-0 and seemingly in control but conceded the pinfall in the final minute in one of the biggest upsets of the Tokyo Olympics.
Writing in the Nigeria Sports Support Forum group on WhatsApp hours after the bout, Igali expressed how Adekuoroye dealt with the setback.
“Update on Adekuoroye: We all had very high hopes for Adekuoroye to medal at this Olympics,” he wrote.
“We prepared very well. Of the 16 athletes here, Adekuoroye had wrestled against about nine of them. This is the third time she was wrestling against the Moldovan. “She had destroyed her 10-0 in each of the last two contests. Within two minutes of the match this morning, Adekuoroye had already built up a healthy lead. Wrestled cautiously and tactically. Was winning 8-0 and on the verge of getting the last two points to win the match by superiority before she was reversed and pinned. It was a ‘workplace accident’ to say the least.”
Igali, who won wrestling gold for Canada at the Sydney 2000 Olympics after switching from Nigeria, described Adekuoroye’s feelings after the shock defeat.
He continued: “Understandably she is inconsolable. She feels she has disappointed a whole nation. We feel her pains. We are equally pained because over 80 percent of wrestling enthusiasts had her as the odds-on favourite to pluck gold here in Tokyo. But God’s ways are not our ways.
“Rest assured that she has a loving and supportive group around her. The next 24 hours of grief are always the hardest. But we trust that she will be fine. The minister and his team, the NOC president and his team, all her team mates, the coaches and myself are here for her. I have personally spent all afternoon with her.”
Igali revealed that the 27-year-old Adekuoroye’s mood improved later in the evening.
“She had refused food all afternoon, but we went out and got some food this evening,” he wrote.
“Heck, I was even able to make her laugh this evening before she retired to seek the comfort of her bed.
“I thank all of you for your prayers and loving support towards the wrestling team, for Adekuoroye and the Nigerian Olympic contingent here in Tokyo.
Iur permutation was to win multiple medals at this Olympics. But we are extremely happy with the silver medal won by Blessing (Oborududu) yesterday. Delay is not denial, Odunayo will likely be at her peak in Paris. I have no doubt that three years will be a blink.
“If I could feel like I had been shot, I can’t imagine how awful she must be feeling. “But I also know that she is a very mentally tough young woman who will bounce back in no time.
“Her last words to me this evening:
‘President, we should all be happy. The wrestling team won a silver medal. We all won. I won’t cry again’. I want to take her by her words and believe that she won’t cry again. Many thanks for all the love.
Daniel igali.”
Adekuoroye, who has already won Commonwealth Games gold and World Championship silver and bronze, will be gunning again for her first Olympic medal at the Paris Games in 2024.
